CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT

Subdued growth conditions driven by a continued decline in private commercial work The ONS have released their Construction output in Great Britain: January 2018 and new orders October to December 2017. Construction output contracted for the ninth consecutive period on a 3 month on 3 month basis, falling by 1.0%, driven mainly by the continued […]

A slow start to 2018 for construction, with output expected to remain flat for the year The ONS released their Construction output in Great Britain: December 2017 figures, showing a continuing decline. Construction output contracted for the eighth consecutive period on a 3 month on 3 month basis, falling by 0.7%. This contraction represents the […]

An uncertain picture for construction going into 2018 Despite talks with the government for a deal Carillion PLC has collapsed and entered into compulsory liquidation. The company has £900m worth of debt and a £587m pension deficit. This collapse puts thousands of construction jobs at risk and will affect many smaller contractors who were working […]

At the end of November the Chancellor delivered his Autumn Budget. Following this the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgraded the projected economic growth rate, blaming it on weak productivity. The OBR cut growth forecasts from 2.0% to 1.5% for 2017/18, looking ahead to 2021 instead of the projected 2.0% the economy is also expected […]

The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI November 2017 report shows a marginal upturn in construction output for October, led by housing activity. However, confidence regarding a 12-month outlook dropped to its weakest since December 2012. The Index registered 50.8 in October up from 48.1 in September moving back above the 50.0 neutral mark; however this […]

The ONS have released their Construction Output in Great Britain: August 2017 figures, showing that construction output contracted by 0.8% on a 3 month on 3 month basis in August, but remains at relatively high levels. This decline was mainly due to decreases in both repair and maintenance and all new work falling 0.6% and […]

The ONS have released their Construction Output in Great Britain: July 2017 and new orders April to June 2017 figures, showing that construction output contracted by 1.2% on a 3 month on 3 month basis in July. This decline was mainly due to decreases in both repair and maintenance and all new work falling 1.8% […]

The result of the UK general election has created greater uncertainty during a critical time, a time when Brexit talks are set to begin. Changes made to the cabinet are also contributing to this uncertainty. Housing Minister Gavin Barwell lost his seat in government, however he has been appointed as Teresa May’s chief of staff. Alok Sharma has been […]

The ONS have released their Construction Output in Great Britain: March 2017 and January to March 2017 figures, showing that construction grew for the 5th consecutive period on a 3 month on 3 month basis, rising by 0.2% for Q1 2017. Supporting this positive view the Glenigan Index April 2017 shows the value of work starting on […]

2017 Spring Budget – no new major announcements for construction The CPA, in response to the budget, say anyone seeking major announcements are likely to be disappointed, going on to say there were only a handful of announcements relevant to construction. Many of these were carried over from the previous autumn budget, including a £220 million fund […]